1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the purification of solutions of gallium, and, more especially, to such purification as to obtain a solution of gallium chloride very high in purity.
The invention more particularly relates to a process for the purification of aqueous hydrochloric acid solutions of gallium in the presence of various elements, notably of iron in ferric state, by liquid/liquid extraction utilizing a quaternary ammonium salt extractant.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The various applications to which gallium is put, in particular in the field of electronics, make it necessary to obtain the gallium in a very high degree of purity. Although the separation of gallium from various metal cations using tertiary amines has heretofore been achieved, the separation of gallium from various elements, and in particular from iron in ferric state, has hitherto proved unattainable without prior reduction of the iron to the ferrous state [Chemical Abstracts, 92, 9435c (1979)].